Race cars, patches, and karate uniforms.

[Michael Billings]

I just like the way an old frayed black belt looks. I do not object to stripes per se, especially the American Kenpo red ones. But I am not real fond of the 5" bar.

I will proudly wear it someday, but would almost prefer 5 red stripes. The bar does set Kenpo apart, and for that reason I will wear it. Also, I will have to break it in when and if I attain that rank. I would hate to have it 5 years and the ends still be sticking out sideways.

-Michael

 

[Billy Lear]

Originally posted by Yiliquan1
There was one person I met a while back whose "uniform" (if you could refer to it as that) was something right out of The Last Dragon... Sho' Nuff would have been proud.

In one version, he wore a turtleneck shirt under a black judogi top festooned with a patch on each chest area, and several on each sleeve. This, combined with the black hakama (in a traditionally non-hakama wearing art) and the earring really looked... impressive.

In a version worn for demonstrations, he wore the same black turtleneck shirt under a red satin vest cut in a Japanese style, with patches on both chest areas. Black karate pants with patches on the legs and Century fingerless gloves completed that ensemble.

I wear my black judogi with plain black belt and our association patch... at least I would wear my association patch if I ever got off my dead a$$ and got it sewn on...

Gambarimasu.
:asian: :tank: :asian:

Hey man... don't knock ShoNuff... he's my hero!
:rofl:

 

[Billy Lear]

Originally posted by Michael Billings
I just like the way an old frayed black belt looks. I do not object to stripes per se, especially the American Kenpo red ones. But I am not real fond of the 5" bar.

I will proudly wear it someday, but would almost prefer 5 red stripes. The bar does set Kenpo apart, and for that reason I will wear it. Also, I will have to break it in when and if I attain that rank. I would hate to have it 5 years and the ends still be sticking out sideways.

-Michael

I totally understand where you're coming from on the Belt sticking out thing... Do you keep with the tradition of not washing your belt, or do you wash it with your Gi?

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by Billy Lear
Hey man... don't knock ShoNuff... he's my hero!
:rofl:

What the heck is that that he's wearing, anyways?

 

[Jill666]

I wear the dojo patch on the breast, the flag on the left sleeve and th-th-that's all, folks!

I wear my belt plain (no embroidery, etc) and wash it with the gi.

I have seen a few people who have large patches on their backs, patches here there and everywhere, stripes and embroidered belts- what the hell is up with that? I don't get it :shrug:

 

[Billy Lear]

Originally posted by Jill666
I wear the dojo patch on the breast, the flag on the left sleeve and th-th-that's all, folks!

I wear my belt plain (no embroidery, etc) and wash it with the gi.

I have seen a few people who have large patches on their backs, patches here there and everywhere, stripes and embroidered belts- what the hell is up with that? I don't get it :shrug:

Some people think the patches make them look like someone. It's marketing baby! It's all about the attention you get when looking like you're in a super suit.
LOL!

 

[Billy Lear]

Originally posted by Kirk
What the heck is that that he's wearing, anyways?

He's wearing his super suit, kryptonite belt, death ray bracers, and his x-ray sunglasses. Oh yeah!!! I wanna be like him!!! Sho'Nuff is bad ***!

And, tell me, who's the badest?

"Sho'Nuf!"

Who's the meanest?

"Sho'Nuf!"

Who's the prettiest?

"SHO'NUF!"

The Shogun of Harlem!!!

 

[tarabos]

i don't have anything on my gi, although it's probably more out of laziness than anything.

i'd wear the traditional EPAK patches if i was going to wear any. probably the Parker Crest on the lapel and the Universal symbol on the arm. i just never get around to doing it.

 

[KenpoGirl]

But I posted that I would wear the required patches.

My gi is embroidered on the left chest with a bright yellow circle and a karate kicker in the middle, around the bottom it says "KENPO KICK ***"

My sister had it made for me one christmas.

 

[Quick Sand]

I wear two patches on my gi. My assocation patch on the left chest area and the camp patch on the right, showing that I attended camp.

That's standard in my assicaiton. Instructors and assistant instructors have a small patch on one sleeve showing their position.

 

[KenpoTess]

Originally posted by Jill666

I wear my belt plain (no embroidery, etc) and wash it with the gi.

Uhhh you wash your Belt?

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by Jill666
I wear the dojo patch on the breast, the flag on the left sleeve and th-th-that's all, folks!

I wear my belt plain (no embroidery, etc) and wash it with the gi.

I have seen a few people who have large patches on their backs, patches here there and everywhere, stripes and embroidered belts- what the hell is up with that? I don't get it :shrug:

huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh .......
she said breast!

 

[Yari]

Originally posted by Kirk
huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh .......
she said breast!

I had forgotton all about them. Man, I'm getting old!

/Yari

 

[rachel]

I just got my black gi and I put the school patch on over my heart. I don't want to look like a walking ad either. Maybe I'll add the american flag later but that's it.

 

[jfarnsworth]

I have 1 gi top that has 3 patches on it and 1 top that has 1 patch on it.

 

[tarabos]

Originally posted by KenpoTess
Uhhh you wash your Belt?

lots of people actually do wash their belts...in fact some would be pretty disgusted to hear how we kenpo people don't wash out belts..

 

[Matt Stone]

It is often said that the Japanese tradition (I have heard that it is also the Chinese tradition) is to not wash the obi... Given the nature of Japanese culture toward personal hygeine practices, I doubt that this is true.

In Japan, clothing is often given away, thrown away, or sold when it is only a year old. Clothing rarely aquires the "worn" look of a comfortable pair of Levi's jeans unless the clothing was specifically made to have that look straight out of the box. Clothing and body cleanliness is of great importance, so the idea of having a funky, dirty, bloody, sweaty, grimy, nasty smelling obi flies in the face of common practice.

I wash my obi, but I do not wash my sash. The obi had become somewhat faded through use, and has not increased in its faded condition through washing whatsoever.

Gambarimasu.
:asian: :tank: :asian:

 

[Cthulhu]

I think the 'tradition' of not washing the belt emerged somewhere over the Pacific during a flight back to the U.S.

Cthulhu

 

[Matt Stone]

Originally posted by Cthulhu
I think the 'tradition' of not washing the belt emerged somewhere over the Pacific during a flight back to the U.S.

Cthulhu

I think that, were we able to be flies on walls in ages past, many so-called "traditions" would be found to be the product of overactive imaginations and overindulgence in "hype" regarding one's own martial style...

I can see a CMAist not washing his sash and attributing that to a superstition regarding washing away his skill... But given what little I know about Japanese culture (ancient as well as modern), I fail to see any corollary to such a tradition at all.

Gambarimasu.
:asian: :tank: :asian:

 

[Jill666]

Do you wear your belt until it's all sweat-stained, then throw it out? Or keep wearing it? I have heard many schools say it's tradition to not wash the belt. I don't know where that came from. I have heard from both Shotokan and Ninjutsu instructors I know that train in Japan, that the belts get washed there. The Karate instructor actually had a grimy, salt-stained belt, and was asked to wash it, please!

Kirk, as always, :rofl: